Villa could face important decision on potential exit amid interest in key ace

Atletico Madrid could reportedly switch their attention to Aston Villa defender Lucas Digne and make him a transfer target this summer.

The 31-year-old is in the final 12 months of his current contract with us, and so question marks are starting to be raised over his future at the club with no suggestion as of yet that a renewal agreement is close.

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Further, if we are able to sell this summer in order to avoid losing him for nothing next year, coupled with the fact that he’s said to be one of our top earners amid SCR concerns which mean we need to lower our wage bill, there is a lot pointing towards an exit for the Frenchman, especially if we’re able to secure a decent transfer fee for a soon-to-be 32 year old.

That said, his solid and consistent form last season made him a key option for Unai Emery as we competed across multiple fronts, and the Villa boss will surely prefer to keep him at the club in order to maintain the level of competition we have for the left-back position with Ian Maatsen.

However, according to The Times, it’s suggested that should Atleti fail in their pursuit of Andy Robertson from Liverpool, Digne has emerged as a potential alternative target with Diego Simeone said to be an admirer of what the French international is capable of providing in both phases of the game.

In turn, time will tell if he becomes a more serious target for the La Liga giants, as if an offer were to arrive to prise him away this summer, Villa will certainly be forced to give it plenty of consideration for the reasons noted above.

As we prepare for another campaign in which we’ll compete in four competitions, losing Digne would be a blow, but whether we look to the transfer market to replace him or consider Yasin Ozcan a potential back-up option at left-back behind Maatsen if needed with the talented young Turkish defender arriving this summer, we may well be open to selling the French ace in the coming weeks if Atleti make him their priority target.

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